It's a catch-all for the NFL in August — if your team plays well, it's just the preseason; if your quarterback throws three interceptions, it's just the preseason.

But jobs are won and lost in the preseason — as the Bucs choose 53 players from the 90 on the roster, their play in the four preseason games is the best way to get an NFL job. Here are five things to watch in Friday's preseason opener at the Bengals.

1. Backup QBs: You'll see Jameis Winston for about one quarter, but who takes over from there? Ryan Griffin — the Bucs' No. 3 the past two years who hasn't taken a regular-season snap at age 27 — might get the first look, and he has played well with the No. 2 offense in practice. His competition is Ryan Fitzpatrick, signed to a one-year, $3 million deal but not assured of the top backup job.

Griffin must be better than he was in last year's preseason. He had four interceptions against one touchdown, playing primarily with third-stringers. Bucs backup quarterbacks had just two touchdown passes in 119 preseason passes last year. Expect much more with improved depth.

How many chances might they have? The Bucs have had nine or 10 field-goal attempts in three of the past four preseasons. That would be better than 2014, when the Bucs had four field goals in four games.

Are preseason field goals that telling, though? Aguayo went 8-for-10 on field goals as a rookie in the preseason last year, good from as far out as 48 and 50 yards. He didn't hit a field goal longer than 43 yards in 16 regular-season games.

Misses will be costly. Both of Aguayo's preseason misses last year came at Jacksonville, going wide right from 32 and 49 yards. He'll be back there Thursday.

3. Receiver depth: Fans are excited to see DeSean Jackson for the first time, and they'll see promising rookie Chris Godwin as well. But those two are locks to make the roster, along with Mike Evans and Adam Humphries.

The intrigue is who can grab the last spot or two. Fans have seen Freddie Martino and Josh Huff, and to a lesser extent, Bernard Reedy. Donteea Dye has an ankle injury and likely won't play. Watch out for Derel Walker, a college teammate of Evans at Texas A&M who had gaudy numbers in the CFL last year: 109 catches for 1,589 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Also trying to make their case are two speedy rookies, Florida State's Bobo Wilson and Eastern Washington's Shaq Hill. The Bucs had only six touchdown receptions in last year's preseason, so this is a chance to showcase the improved depth at receiver.

4. New safeties: Chris Conte and Keith Tandy, back from last season, are more known commodities, familiar with Mike Smith's defense and working most often as the starting safeties in practice.

But the Bucs made investments in two challengers — second-round draft pick Justin Evans from Texas A&M, and free agent J.J. Wilcox, signed from the Cowboys. They need to show they've picked the defense, and the best way to do so is lining up in the right place and making plays in preseason games.

Those four seem like locks to make the 53-man roster, and Josh Robinson, a special-teams standout, will make the team on his kick coverage skills alone. The rest are outside shots, like Marqueston Huff, on his fifth team in less than a year, and Isaiah Johnson, who spent last season on the Bucs' practice squad.

5. Linebacker depth: The last spot or two is up for grabs — that player is more likely to contribute on special teams, but it would help to show upside on defense should one of the top three or four linebackers get injured.

It's a battle between returning special-teamers from last year — Adarius Glanton and Cameron Lynch — and newcomers like undrafted rookies Riley Bullough and Richie Brown and CFL import Jeff Knox. Bullough was a surprise star on Hard Knocks this week, lauded by coaches for his communication in picking up the defense quickly and his leadership skills, even as a third-stringer.

Bucs fans will also be excited to see rookie Kendell Beckwith, who has made a remarkable return, not even nine months removed from an ACL tear in November. It's also a big game for Devante Bond, trying to show he can be the team's primary strongside linebacker after missing his rookie season with a hamstring injury.

On the other side: Familiar names you'll remember on the Bengals side of this game? DE Michael Johnson, an expensive bust in one year with the Bucs in 2014, had 3.5 sacks last season after returning to Cincinnati. … Hardy Nickerson — that's the son of former Bucs great Hardy Nickerson — is tryiing to make the roster as an undrafted rookie out of Illinois, where he played for dad and Lovie Smith last season. … Karel Hamilton, an undrafted rookie receiver who played at Strawberry Crest, gets his first chance to overcome the odds and make the roster. … Former Gators QB Jeff Driskel, who finished his college career at Louisiana Tech, is Cincinnati's third QB, and could be in line for a practice squad job, with A.J. McCarron still lined up as Andy Dalton's backup, barring someone overpaying for him in a trade.

ATLANTA — The NFL and the owners of its 32 teams enacted a new national anthem policy Wednesday designed, they said, to compel players to stand if they’re on the sideline for the playing of the anthem prior to a game."Clearly our objective as a leagu...

Lakewood grad Bernard Reedy, who handled the Bucs' kickoff and punt returns for much of last season, is back with Tampa Bay again.Reedy, 26, was signed on Wednesday, one day after the Bucs began OTA workouts. Thomas Sperbeck, the former Boise State r...

NFL owners passed a new policy Wednesday with the hopes of moving on from boycotts and political turmoil related to some players protesting by not standing during the national anthem before games.Under the new policy, NFL players are not required to ...

And you thought our headline would be "Mariota hosts NFL draft before Winston."The NFL owners are meeting in Atlanta this week, and that means a new batch of future Super Bowls getting announced for their homes.A year ago, Tampa got the huge news, an...

It's hard to miss new Bucs center Ryan Jensen at OTA workouts this week, with his long red hair visible from across the field even when he's wearing a helmet."Any recommendations for anti frizz shampoo and conditioner?" Jensen wrote on Twitter with a...

TAMPA — He's 30."I know. I'm getting old," Gerald McCoy said Tuesday, shaking his head.He's still a young man, of course. But in football years, McCoy has finally reached a black balloon birthday. This is his ninth season with the Bucs, which i...

Former Gators and Bucs linebacker Scot Brantley, also once a popular sports radio host in Tampa, is battling Alzheimer's Disease and has been rejected from the NFL's concussion settlement, according to tonight's episode of HBO's "Real Sports with Bry...

Mike Evans is one of just three receivers in NFL history to open his career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, but he understands one area where he can make a big improvement in 2018: yards after the catch."I think last year was my worst year in ...

If you've been dipping your toes in the "Gosh, Vita Vea looks a lot like the guy from Disney's Moana" pool, Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has jumped in all the way.The Bucs' 347-pound rookie is massive, has a family history on the Pacific island...

The Bucs started another chapter of their offseason Tuesday with the first OTA (organized team activity) practice at One Buc Place, with veterans Jason Pierre-Paul and Brent Grimes as the only healthy players absent from what is officially a voluntar...